5 Tips For Simplifying Your Next Move

Happy New Year from all of us here at Amanda Howard Sotheby's International Realty! Can you believe it’s already 2018? For me, bringing in the new year means setting new goals and making plans to accomplish those goals.

Some of you may have considered buying or selling a home this year. If that’s you, here are five tips to help you jump-start your organizing right now to help you simplify that move.

First, sort piles of belongings into groups: ‘Keep,’ ‘Giveaway,’ ‘Maybe,’ and ‘Trash.’ For the ‘maybe’ pile, box up and seal things you might want to keep but aren’t sure for 6 to 12 months. If you don’t find any use for those items in that period, then donate them.

Second, give yourself plenty of time. Be patient; this process of getting organized takes some time. Know that when it comes to sorting through personal papers and memorabilia, it will take much longer than reviewing other items—leave some extra time for the expected reminiscing that will occur.

Third, store your items in clear plastic bins. Using clear boxes helps to let you have a quick look at what’s inside. If you use cardboard boxes or colored bins, use a pen label clearly what’s inside and which room it’s going to go in in your new home. Also, consider investing in a label maker.

Fourth, get rid of paper. A big problem in many of the homes I see is the big paper trail that’s left from room to room. It can be magazines, newspapers, documents, advertisements, receipts—you name it. Most homeowners keep a lot of paper, which creates a lot of clutter. To reduce the amount of clutter, go through your files and scan any documents or receipts that you want to keep and shred the documents that you don’t. You’ll find that a lot of what you’re hanging on to are things you don’t need. Now’s the time to start having documents digitally sent to you instead of by traditional paper mail. It will save you a lot of time later.

Last but not least, do it now! This is the most valuable tip I have for you. As soon as you’re finished taking in these tips, put a time on your calendar when you are going to get organized. Putting it on your calendar should help you block off time to get started and prevent procrastination.

If you take care of things right away, you’ll find that life gets simpler. The same goes for your move. So get organized, and give us a call. We would love to help you get started with your next move. For more information or questions you’d like answered, you’re encouraged to reach out to us.